The island of Ireland has had an understated history in terms of television output. Here we look at 10 shows, factual, fun, and drama, based in the Emerald Isle.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Nov 25 20
Category:
TV By Country
Porter Wagoner was a consummate country singer who transcended concert performances to host the longest-running country music variety show on US television. Along the way he scored dozens of hits and recorded 80 albums.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 08 19
Category:
W
For generations, men born in Ireland have fought in wars and conflicts worldwide. These questions are about groups and individuals involved in battles beyond their own shores.
Difficult, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Nov 25 08
Category:
Military Matters
The multi-award winning "West Wing" was hailed as one of the best shows of its time and gathered legions of devotees. Quotes are from "The Official Companion" to "The West Wing", seasons 1 and 2. (Authorship credits: Ian Jackman & Paul Ruditis.)
Tough, 15 Qns, darksplash,
Sep 08 10
Category:
Literary Characters
Guy Clark was one of the most respected singer/songwriters of his generation. His songs were covered by many artists and have entered the wider country music consciousness. See what you know about him.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 31 13
Category:
C
Ireland has four provinces: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster. See if you can identify the correct province for the questions.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 03 16
Category:
Mixed Ireland
This quiz is not about the David Bowie song "Changes". It is about people, places and things that have undergone a change of identity.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jul 09 17
Category:
Thematic Verbs
A test of how well you know Irish places that have been featured in songs.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Dec 11 07
Category:
Place Names in Songs
Since time began, humankind has had a fascination with flight. Soaring like the birds has been a dream, no wonder it caught the attention of fiction authors.
Tough, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jul 10 17
Category:
Thematic Occupations
The British Broadcasting Corporation (a.k.a. 'The Beeb') has for decades been Britain's leading music broadcaster. Over the years 'Auntie' (as it is also known) has courted controversy by banning various records.
Tough, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Dec 11 18
Category:
Banned or Censored Music
Many movies and TV shows have the names of compass points in their title. See if you can spot which of these point north, south, east or west.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Nov 28 10
Category:
Something in Common
In November 2013, the 1,000th record to top the British album charts was revealed. See what you know about 57 years of UK Number One albums, by artists from many countries.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
May 30 21
Category:
Number One Albums
It's been a while since I've written a Tom Paxton quiz; this one is for the fans. See if you can identify the characters the American folkie created in song, or the people other songs were about.
Average, 15 Qns, darksplash,
Mar 29 15
Category:
Paxton, Tom
Here are 10 songs with with wheel or wheels in the title. Match the artists associated with them.
I've included some lyrics with the questions to help.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 03 16
Category:
Title is a Question
Yes, we all like positive answers to our questions, so see if you can match words of affirmation to 10 languages. Can you do it? Aye, you can.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
May 08 18
Category:
Languages
The great five Ws of journalism: who, what, when, where, and why. Every good story needs them. Let's look at 10 sports facts reflecting on that. (Two for each W).
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 09 20
Category:
Wide World of Sports
In these questions, decide which three of four people, places or things have something in common and which is the odd one out.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jun 02 23
Category:
Odd One Out
This quiz looks at historical episodes that took place during Chinese "Years of the Horse" in the 20th Century. The Chinese year does not exactly equate to the Western January to December year.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Sep 28 11
Category:
19th, 20th & 21st Centuries
As a follow-up to a similar quiz of a few years ago, I give you three names, events or places in chronological order, and you tell me what was the next on that list.
Tough, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Dec 05 23
Category:
Mixed 10 Qn Tough C
In each question I give you four words that can each be connected to a fifth. You'll probably work out the theme as you go along.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Mar 29 20
Category:
Words in Common
There is a saying that football (soccer) is a gentleman's game played by hooligans. The game has some cultured moments, though; see how many pieces of music associated with English Premiership clubs (August 2008 vintage) you can identify.
Tough, 20 Qns, darksplash,
Nov 16 08
Category:
Sports in Songs
From the working men's clubs of Wales to the heights of national TV stardom, the singer and comedian Max Boyce earned a place in the affection of the British nation.
Tough, 15 Qns, darksplash,
May 23 09
Category:
B
When rock and roll music was 'born' in the late 1950s, Chuck Berry was there at the bedside. See what you remember about one of his best-known songs.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Apr 27 12
Category:
Berry, Chuck
America had Perry Como, Andy Williams, and Bing Crosby among a host of smooth crooners. Britain had Matt Monro, who was every bit as smooth and was hailed as one of the best male singers ever.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Nov 05 20
Category:
M
Pity the poor sportsmen, and women. They train and hone their skills for years, but it can all go to waste when the unexpected happens, especially when the unexpected has fur or feathers. Here are 15 cases of animals getting involved in sport.
Average, 15 Qns, darksplash,
Feb 11 12
Category:
Animals in Sports
"Gottle of geer, gottle of geer" - it is not easy to 'throw' a voice, yet ventriloquism has been a staple form of entertainment for decades. Test your knowledge of dummies and puppets and the people behind them.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 26 13
Category:
Ventriloquism & Puppetry
Each question lists four subjects, followed by a statement.
Your task is to decide if that statement is true or false.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jul 20 21
Category:
True or False
"Anything is possible" is the heartfelt claim of the desperate defence lawyer.
This quiz, though, explores ten ways in culture and fact that everything is impossible.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Oct 26 20
Category:
Thematic Phrases
Paul Valdemar Horsdal, familiarly known as Valdy, was a Canadian folk and country singer. Here are ten questions about this music award winner.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jan 09 21
Category:
V
Things turned very personal for Detective Inspector John Rebus when he reopened an old investigation in 'The Black Book' - an investigation that some people wanted halted, at any cost.
Average, 15 Qns, darksplash,
Mar 19 17
Category:
Rankin, Ian
It can be so frustrating when we see a show on TV and can't identify the actors. If you are a real 'couch potato', you should have few problems matching these characters with their players.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jun 29 09
Category:
Matching Character and Actor
Every four years, the cream of the world's winter sportsmen and women gather to ski, slide, skate, board, dance and jump their way through events on snow and ice in the Winter Olympics. These questions are about the 1992 games.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Nov 23 09
Category:
1992 Albertville
Highest, coldest, windiest, sunniest? Let's have a look at some US cities that top the 'league' in a variety of categories.
Tough, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Nov 16 13
Category:
USA - Cities
Ireland is an island of many rivers. See if you can match the rivers with counties they flow through.
Tough, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Apr 08 16
Category:
Europe - Rivers and Lakes
The number 300 on a variety of topics is the theme for my 300th quiz on this site. Have fun.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Dec 27 16
Category:
101+
Sometimes it seems that sports have a language all of their own. Match these 15 terms or idioms to the sport in which they are commonly used.
Tough, 15 Qns, darksplash,
Feb 07 21
Category:
WWoS Tough
"Busted flat in Baton Rouge headin' for the trains,
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans". These are the opening words of one of Kris Kristofferson's best-known songs. See how much you know about it.
Difficult, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 22 08
Category:
Kristofferson, Kris
Singer, songwriter, humanitarian activist: Harry Chapin packed a lot into his 38 years. See how much you know about the man behind songs like "Taxi", "W*O*L*D" and "Cat's In The Cradle"
Difficult, 20 Qns, darksplash,
Mar 15 09
Category:
Chapin, Harry
This is my second quiz about the life and music of the singer, songwriter and humanitarian, Harry Chapin. See how much you know about the man behind songs like "Taxi", "W*O*L*D" and "Cat's In The Cradle".
Difficult, 15 Qns, darksplash,
Mar 16 09
Category:
Chapin, Harry
English is the third most spoken language in the world. Its grammar can be confusing, especially with all the technical devices that exist. From a day in the life of darksplash, can you identify oxymoron, tautology, hyperbole, or pleonasm
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Oct 05 17
Category:
Grammatical and Lexical Items
Having "a handy knack for rhyming" is useful for a songwriter, but what happens when some of the things you rhyme and write make absolutely no sense? Here are ten.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 15 20
Category:
Nonsense Lyrics
Is there a doctor in the quiz? Here's a chance to see how many of these fictional 'doctors' you can identify. Strictly speaking, they may not all be medical doctors.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Dec 30 21
Category:
Thematic Occupations
As a companion to 'One Book Wonders & Second Time Flops', this quiz is about three more greats who never wrote a second novel, and seven others whose second efforts were better than their first.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Apr 03 09
Category:
Hit or Miss
In this sequel to "TV Soap Stars", your task is to match the actors with the characters of some well known TV dramas.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Nov 19 22
Category:
Matching Character and Actor
Clams: don't you just love them? Well, personally, no. But let's see how far those cute little molluscs have entered popular culture.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Apr 27 20
Category:
Thematic Invertebrates
For over 100 years, Greyhound buses have been as much an American icon as mom's apple pie or the Statue of Liberty. Climb on board and follow some of the milestones in its life and legend.
Tough, 15 Qns, darksplash,
Aug 08 19
Category:
Thematic Transportation
Ronnie Lane was a key member of two of Britain's most influential bands of the 1960s. He later formed his own combo to tour and record.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jan 09 20
Category:
S
If you had Bob Dylan as an admirer you must have been doing something right as a songwriter. Very many people agreed with Dylan's assessment of John Prine. Here are ten questions about Prine and his songs.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Apr 08 20
Category:
Prine, John
Maybe it is because they are the among the toughest in the US military that television writers have chosen to give many of their characters a back story of service in the Marine Corps. Say "oorah" to these 10.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jul 30 21
Category:
Mainly Characters
Ahoy there, me hearties! See how many of these fictional seadogs you can identify.
Average, 10 Qns, darksplash,
Jul 10 17
Category:
Thematic Occupations